Francesca Martinez, who has cerebral palsy, tells of her own journey of self-acceptance, being rescued from high school hell by Grange Hill and letting Ricky Gervais take the mick out of her in Extras

What happens when you’re branded ‘abnormal’, in a world obsessed with normality? Francesca Martinez, who has cerebral palsy, tells Dave Owens about her own journey of self-acceptance, being rescued from high school hell by Grange Hill and letting Ricky Gervais take the mick out of her in Extras

You’re playing Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff this Friday. What can we expect from your show?

It’s a very personal show; growing up being labelled "abnormal" from a very young age has meant that I’ve had this intense relationship with the word "normal" and this show asks the question, 'What do you do when you’re labelled "abnormal" in a world obsessed with normality and fitting in?' The show’s kind of my answer. Although it's very autobiographical, the themes are universal in the sense that it’s not about disability, but it’s about what it is to be human, to find self acceptance, and ultimately to try and define yourself by your own values and liberate yourself from these pressures that exist within society to conform on many levels. I feel the idea of what's normal is quite a political area, because I think it's a concept that's used to control people and to disempower them. I’m really passionate about communicating the happiness you can find if you stick two fingers up to that idea. I've never met a 'normal' person. I don't think they exist!

Why did you want to become a comedian?

One of my biggest fears from a young age was being pitied. I've always been wobbly and that was my normality so I really struggled with being labelled "abnormal" because I felt very happy and capable. For some reason, I thought that if I was cheeky or said really funny things, I would get the respect I craved. So I went out of my way to make people laugh. But I never planned to be a comedian and my love was always acting. My Dad, Alex, who's a writer, wrote me a film script in 1998, and he made my character a comedian. I loved the part but found the idea of actually doing stand-up utterly terrifying. The script was soon bought up by a film company so, very reluctantly, I joined a comedy workshop. Purely for research purposes! I didn’t say a word for six weeks. I was so scared. It was pathetic. Stand-up is very different to acting - you’re really baring yourself. But somehow my class persuaded me to do a five-minute routine at the end of term show and, even though I was petrified, I thought, ’Wow! This is it! This is what I’m meant to do!’ So it's all down to my Dad, really.

What were the biggest challenges you faced when you started out as a stand up?

Getting stage-time and learning to be comfortable with a room full of strangers staring at you! One of the reasons I fell in love with stand-up was that I felt my disability was actually a bonus and I'd never felt that before. I felt it was an advantage to have a unique perspective on things and for the audience to feel curious about my life. It was a powerful shift because I'd always viewed my wobbliness as a negative, and comedy made me value it and even celebrate it. Comedy really has changed my life because it's made me appreciate my own difference.

I was in the audience when you won the Telegraph Open Mic Award in Edinburgh - what did that do for you and what was the experience like?

I found myself in that final exactly one year after my first gig so it was an absolute dream come true. I had no thoughts of winning it as I was just so glad to be there. When they announced me as the winner, it was very surreal and emotional, and I managed to blub out some words of thanks to my Dad. It was amazing to have him there after his writing led me into comedy. I'm very grateful because it's an amazing job! Winning the award opened a lot of doors and it was a great springboard. Part of the prize was performing in Melbourne and Montreal and I kept pinching myself when I shared a bill with Johnny Vegas and Sean Lock... I felt like such a newbie! But it was a great experience and I was so hungry to learn. I didn't feel in a rush. I liked the idea of slowly learning a craft and I wanted to dedicate my life to it.

In the bear pits of comedy clubs on the national comedy circuit how difficult was it for you to perform?

I relished the challenge! I've always like the energy of lively gigs. Some gigs were daunting but you learn so much from difficult gigs. As a wobbly girl, I always felt that I've had to prove myself and that some people may view me (especially at the beginning) as just a novelty act. So I worked very hard to be incredibly consistent and to develop a bullet proof set. In some ways, if I wanted to be taken seriously, I felt like I always had to have a great gig, but I think that has proven to be a positive thing because it's made me very self-critical which I think is a very important attribute to have as a comic!

You've talked about ‘being rescued from high school hell by Grange Hill’ – can you expand on that for me?

I went from being a really happy kid, very loved, very confident, to high school which I hated! All my confidence was stripped away and I began to judge myself on the standards by which other people saw me, and that just made me into a shadow of former myself. I felt so isolated and different and weird. 'Grange Hill' came along and pulled me out of that negativity. I'd always wanted to act and I couldn't believe that I was allowed to miss school. Legally!!! It had such an impact on me and restored some of my confidence. It really was a teenage dream come true. And, yes, my school mates hated me even more!

How was that time for you? What were the ups and downs of appearing on TV in such prominent role?

I can't think of a single 'down'! I was so, so, grateful to be taken away from feeling like a miserable and depressed teenager! I had started to hate myself and feel ashamed of my difference so the acting made me feel valued and as if I had some talent. I began to make friends which I had desperately yearned for at school. 'Grange Hill' made the idea of being a performer a real possibility, and, without it, I don't know where I would have ended up!

Tell me about Extras – how did that come and what the process of working with Ricky Gervais like?

It was a fab experience and I was honoured that Ricky and Stephen wrote the part especially for me. It was refreshing that they weren’t afraid to write comedy around my disability - that hadn't really been done before in a mainstream comedy show. Some people question if disability should be explored in comedy, but I think comedy's perfect for tackling 'taboo' subjects. Many disabled people use humour to handle challenges and I think it's a human right to be able to make jokes. The truth is there is a lot of comedic potential in disability and the way it is perceived - certainly in my own life - and I hope that it can be explored more. Some humour can be cruel and I'm not a fan of that but I do think humour has the ability to educate people and break through social tensions - and that is brilliant and much-needed.

How did it feel having him take the mick out of your walk?

He made me realise my walk is hilarious. I'm proud to have a funny walk!

He’s someone who has attracted criticism for use of terms like 'mong' – did you feel uneasy when you saw him use the word?

I don't understand why he used that word and I was disappointed that someone with his influence would do so. I think it's a word with a very negative history. It certainly wasn't a career highlight.

You have previously said that attitudes towards the disabled are hardening, but do you think the Paralympics will go some way to softening people’s views?

I think the Paralympics will hopefully shift public attitudes. We rarely see positive portrayals of difference in society and the Paralympics really showed disabled people to have human complexities just like everyone else. The media has so much power in shaping perceptions that I hope we see more diversity on screens. It really could normalise difference. Disability is a natural and normal part of life and we need to accept it, and not ignore it. Politically, attitudes are hardening and I think we have to really challenge the attacks on disabled people.

What do you have planned for the future?

Keep healthy and happy. I'm not a big planner. I think every day is a gift and we don't know how long it will last so I try to appreciate just being alive. I have my dreams like doing a sitcom or making a film but, ultimately, I'm happy with life already. It's great to learn to be happy with what you have!

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